Cold rolling apparatus



1970 TOSHIYUKI KAJIWARA ,36

COLD ROLLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 5, 1967 3 SheetsSheet 2 ATTORNEY Jan. 13, 1970 TosHlYukl KAJIWARA "3,4 ,3

COLD ROLLING APPARATUS Filed Fb. 5, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR BY Mk ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 24278.1 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cold rolling apparatus combined with a conventional rolling mill and for use both in cold rolling and temper rolling, in which a combination coiler and uncoiler is provided and can serve as a coil box in cold rolling also as a pay-off reel in temper rolling. This combination coiler and uncoiler has a hydraulically operated expansible drum which can vary its outside diameter stepwise by wedge action, thereby permits either to hold firmly or to support loosely the inside surface of the coil under operation. This apparatus is also equipped with several other means for center aligning, bed clamping, tip end supporting and other accessories.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my pending application Ser. No. 437,950, now US. Patent No. 3,312,416, filed on Mar. 8, 1965.

The present invention relates to an improvement in cold rolling apparatus of the type in which coils of relatively large thickness having been rolled by hot rolling and thereafter subjected to surface treatment are again subjected to rolling to produce coils of sheet steel.

Cold rolling apparatus are generally arranged in a manner that coilers are disposed on opposite sides of a rolling mill proper and a coil box is disposed on the opposite side of the inlet-side coiler to supply to the rolling mill steel rolled by hot rolling and wound in the form of coil. In the cold rolling apparatus, the coil supplied from the coil box is passed through the reversible rolling mill for being taken up on the outlet-side coiler, the rolling operation being then reversed to effect successive rolling of the coil. The coil having been subjected to cold rolling is then subjected to temper rolling in a skin pass mill for the purpose of improving surface luster, mechanical properties and flatness of the material.

Recently, a combination rolling apparatus in which a cold rolling apparatus and a temper rolling apparatus are combined together has been developed and known in the art. Although this combination rolling apparatus is quite effective to attain the rolling operation of the kind described, it is still defective in that difficulty is encountered in guiding the tip of a coil to the rolling mill due to a considerably remote distance between the rolling mill and a coil box or a pay-off reel and in that this apparatus occupies a very wide space. 7

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a cold rolling apparatus of the type in which a pay-off reel and a coil box are eliminated and in lieu thereof a single take-up and pay-off unit is provided to attain the required duty and to simplify the cold rolling operation.

There are other objects and particularities of the present invention which will become obvious from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a combination rolling apparatus of conventional type.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of the cold rolling apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the inventive apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a detailed construction of the means for selectively step-wise varying the outside diameter of a variable drum of the cold rolling apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 5a is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the braking means of the cold rolling apparatus according to the invention, in which brake 31 is placed to operate reciprocally in parallel with the stroke of the cylinder.

FIG. 5b is a partially enlarged view taken along 5b5b of FIG. 5a.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the tip supporting means of the cold rolling apparatus according to the invention.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are the partial enlarged views of the tip supporting portion of the tip supporting means of the cold rolling apparatus, in which inner supporting member is shown at its leftward end, rightward end, respectively.

At first, the structure of a combination rolling apparatus well known in the art will be described with reference to FIG. 1 so that the improvement according to the present invention will clearly be understood. In the combination rolling apparatus of conventional type, a deflector roller B, a coiler C and a pay-01f reel D for use during temper rolling are disposed on the front side of a rolling mill A, while on the rear side of the rolling mill A there are disposed a deflector roller E, a coiler F and a coil box G for accommodating therein coils subjected to hot rolling. The arrangement of these units has a great influence on the rolling efficiency. As will be obvious from FIG. 1, in the combination rolling apparatus of conventional type, the coil box G and the pay-01f reel D are disposed at a position considerably remote from the rolling mill A and thus it is diflicult to properly guide the tip of the coil to the rolling mill for rolling operation. Further, this rolling apparatus is undesirable because it occupies a vast space.

The present invention eliminates the drawbacks involved in the rolling apparatus of prior type and proposes a combination coiler and uncoiler which can simultaneously serve as both a coil box for use in cold rolling and a pay-off reel for use in temper rolling.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 designates a four high rolling mill which is driven from an electric motor 2 through a pinion stand 3 and a driving spindle 4. A combination coiler and uncoiler according to the invention is generally designated by reference numeral 5 and is serviceable for combined operation of a conventional coil box, a pay-off reel, etc. This combination coiler and uncoiler 5 is mounted on a bed 7 slidably mounted on a base 6 and has its drum 10 rotated from an electric motor 8 through a reduction gearing 9 so that sheet steel can be taken up thereon in the form of coil or the coil can be payed off therefrom.

The drum 10 is provided with a wedge-shaped shaft which is axially movable so that the axial movement of the shaft relative to the drum causes radical expansion and contraction of the outside diameter of the drum 10 whereby to support the inside diameter of the coils thereon and relieve the supporting force therefrom. Thus, it will be understood that the drum'10 can serve the combined operation of a conventional pay-off reel and a coil box for use in temper rolling and a conventional coiler for the bed 7 to cause the center of a coil about the drum 10 to align with the center of the exceeding work unit, that is, by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 11 through the bed 7, the center of the coil on the drum 10 can be made to align with the center of the coil passage in the succeeding work unit, that is, the rolling mill 1. The bed 7 is equipped with a fixing means or hydraulic actuated brake 31 which fixes the position of the combination coiler and uncoiler during the coiling and uncoiling operation. The fixing means 31 is adapted to be hydraulically operated, and an arrangement is made with the hydraulic line 32 operatively connecting the hydraulic operated member 11 and 31 to a suitable conventional valve 33 that will selectively connect the hydraulic lines 32 to a hydraulic pressure line 34 and a discharge line 35. This hydraulic arrangement can be used to cause fluid pressure to selectively act on the driving cylinder 11 for the bed 7 and an actuating cylinder for the fixing means 31, and the fixing means 31 is relieved from its fixing action during the movement of the bed by the bed driving cylinder 11.

Deflector rollers 17 are rotatably supported on the top of the frame 14 to guide the sheet steel when it passes through the rolling mill 1. A guide member 18 is provided to guide the sheet steel being uncoiled from the combination coiler and uncoiler 5 towards the rolling mill 1. A pressure roller 19 is provided to press the coil from behind during the uncoiling operation of the coil and is pivoted on the tip of an arm 21 arranged for swinging movement by a hydraulic cylinder 20. A shearing means 22 is operatively associated with coil turning means 24 and a coil opener 23 so as to sever as required the leading end of a coil. The coil is suitably turned by the coil turning means 24 so that the leading end of the coil when mounted on the drum takes a predetermined position, and thus the uncoiling operation of the coil can advantageously be effected. The coil turned by the turning means 24 is received by a coil card 25 and is then delivered on a coil transporting conveyor 26 on the inlet side of the rolling mill 1. The coil carried by the conveyor 26 is then received by a coil car 27 and is mounted on the drum 10 of the combination coiler and uncoiler 5. A coil car 28 is also provided on the outlet side of the rolling mill 1 to remove a coil subjected to final rolling from the coiler 12 and to deliver it on a conveyor 29. Rails 30 are provided for the travel of the coil cars 27 and 28 towards and away from the respective combination coiler and uncoiler 5 and the coiler 12.

The variable drum 10 will now be described in further detail by way of an embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the outside diameter of which is expansible and contractible in several steps (three steps in this case). Referring to FIG. 4, a drum segment 131 of the combination coiler and uncoiler is peripherally divided into a plurality of pieces each of which is connected to a hollow shaft 132 so as to be radially movable to vary the outside diameter of the drum. The hollow shaft 132 is rotatably supported in a bearing 134 which is mounted in the bed 7 and is driven by an electric motor by way of a gear 135 mounted substantially in the middle portion of said shaft and a pinion (not shown). Reference numeral 136 indicates the wedge-shaped shaft and the axial movement of said wedgeshaped shaft causes the segment 131 to move radially by its wedge action.

The wedge-shaped shaft 136 is connected to a piston 138 of a rotary cylinder 137 by means of which said shaft is moved axially. At the tip end of the shaft 136 is provided with an auxiliary piston 139 which is adapted to open or close oil passages through which pressurized oil is supplied from a pressurized oil source into the rotary cylinder 137.

Such being the arrangement, the outside diameter of the drum is smallest when said piston 138 is positioned at the left end extremity of its stroke, while the outside diameter of the drum is largest when said piston 138 is positioned at the right end extremity of its stroke.

An outer cylinder 140 is rotatably fitted on the extended portion of the rotary cylinder 137 to secure said extended portion, and this outer cylinder is fixed to a frame which is not shown. The inner peripheral wall of the outer cylinder 140 is provided with circumferentially extending oil passage grooves 146, 147 in opposed relation with oil passage holes 144, formed in the wall of the rotary cylinder 137, through which the pressurized oil being supplied from the pressurized oil source through a pipe line 141 and change-over valves 142, 143 is fed into a chamber A in the rotary cylinder 137. In the Wall of the rotary cylinder 137 is also provided an oil passage 148 for supplying the pressurized oil into a chamber B in said cylinder therethrough, said oil passage 148 communicating with an oil passage groove 149. A differential valve is provided to discharge the pressurized oil in the chamber A in the rotary cylinder through oil passage 151 and oil passage groove 152. This dilferential valve 150 is kept in the closed position when the drum is to be expanded but is opened by the pressurized oil from the oil source when the drum is to be closed, thus providing for the discharge of the pressurized oil into the chamber A. Reference numeral 153 indicates a discharge pipe line for the pressure oil.

For winding a coil of steel sheet on the coiler in the form of a coil, the change-over valve 142, first of all, is placed in the position, shown by arrow a, so as to feed the pressurized oil into the chamber A in the rotary cylinder through the oil passage groove 146 and oil passage 144. In this case, since the pressurized oil in the chamber B is discharged into the oil discharge pipe line 153 through the oil passage 148 and oil passage groove 149, the shaft 136 is moved in the direction of arrow 1 by the piston 138.

The auxiliary piston 139 is also moved along with the movement of the shaft 136 to close the oil passage groove 146, thereby stopping the pressurized oil from the oil source and thus the outer diameter D" is set at a size suitable for the coil winding operation. Then, the drum takes up the leading end of the coil with the aid of a gripper or a belt wrapper (not shown), to start the winding operation.

When the coil is to be removed from the drum upon completion of the winding operation, the change-over valve 142 is placed in the position shown by arrow b, contrary to the aforementioned operation, to permit the pressurized oil to flow into the chamber B in the rotary cylinder through the oil passage groove 149 and oil passage 148. The pressure of the pressurized oil causes the differential valve 150 to open and therefore the pressurized oil in the chamber A is discharged into the oil discharge pipe line 153 through the oil passage 151 and oil passage groove 152. The shaft 136, therefore, is moved in the direction of arrow e, with the result that the outside diameter of the drum is reduced to a minimum, thereby providing for the removal of the coil.

Now, when the drum is used as an uncoiler, the arrangement must be such that the outside diameter of the drum is expansible to a size greater than the inside diameter of the coil mounted on the drum in order to impart a tension to the coil being payed-off, because otherwise slippage would occur between the inner surface of the coil and the outer periphery of the drum. In other Words, the outside diameter of the drum must be expanded to D+oz.

This can be attained by placing the change-over valve 143 in the position shown by arrow 0, whereby it is possible to move the piston 139 in the rightward direction further, than in the case when the drum is used as coiler, to a position shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4. The outside diameter of the drum is, therefore, made greater than D by an amount corresponding the amount of further displacement of the piston 139.

It will be understood from the foregoing that, according to the present invention, the outside diameter of the drum can be set at three different sizes, i.e., the maximum, an intermediate and the minimum sizes, in contrast to the drum of conventional coilers 'or uncoilers of which the outside diameter can'be set only at two different sizes, i.e., the maximum and minimum sizes, and this renders the drum of the invention serviceable for the combined operation of a coiler and an uncoiler.

For thecombined operation ofa reel for use in coil rolling and a pay-off reel 'for'use in skin pass only, it is possible, for example, to replace a drum according to the respective operations, since these operations are performed separately from each other. However, one of the objects of the present invention is to use the drum which serves as the coiler for the first rolling pass, as the uncoiler for the second rolling pass simultaneously and for this purpose the outside' diameter of the drum must be varied with ease, because replacement of the drum after the first rolling pass and before the second rolling pass is time consuming and practically impossible. In this embodiment of the invention shown, such variation of outside diameter of the drum can be attained with much ease merely by the operation of the change-over valve.

An embodiment of the above will further be described referring toFIGS. 5a and 5b.

Basically, the arrangement is such that, when the principal body of the combination coiler and uncoiler (mounted on the bed 7) is to'be moved in the direction of its width, the force of the clamping means (fixing means) is relieved automatically, whereas the fixing means is automatically actuated again upon completion of the movement of said principal body in the direction of its width.

Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b the cylinder to move the bed 7 in the direction of the width is generally indicated at 11, while a cylinder to fix the bed 7 to the base 6 is generally indicated at 62.

In FIGS. 5a and 5b the fixing means or brake 31' is illustrated as being placed to operate reciprocally in parallel with the stroke of cylinder 11, while in FIG. 2 the fixing means is shown as being mounted at right angle to the stroke of the cylinder. Such variation of arrangement can be made optionally based on the same principle.

When the bed 7 is moved in either the direction of arrow e or f, the pressurized oil is introduced into a chamber E or D in the cylinder 11 and concurrently into a chamber B in the cylinder 62 from a pressurized oil pipe line 69. A wedge 65, therefore, is pushed forward to relieve the fixing means.

On the other hand, when the movement of the bed 7 is to be stopped, a change-over valve 66 is returned to its neutral position, whereupon the pressurized oil in the chamber B in the cylinder 62 is discharged into a discharge pipe line 70 through the change-over valve 66. The pressurized oil being supplied from the pressurized oil pipe line 69 into a chamber A in the cylinder 62 acts on the piston 63 in the direction of arrow 0, and as a result the wedge 65 is pressed against a wedge support 64, rigidly fixing the bed 7. The automatic fixing means is provided with check valves 67, 68 and the upward movement of the bed 7 during its sliding movement on the base 6 is prevented by a pressingatplate 71.

A coiler 12 is disposed on the rear side of the rolling mill 1 and fixed on the foundationl The coiler 12 may be of any well-known structure hitherto employed in the art. A means 13 for supporting the tip or free end 16 of the drum is pi-votally supported on a frame attached to the rolling mill 1 so as to deal with deflection of the drum 10 by the coil. This supporting means 13 can make a swinging movement by the action of a hydraulic cylinder 15 mounted on the frame 14 so as to detachably engage the tip 16 of the drum 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinders 15 are provided with hydraulic line 36 that lead to a valve 37 of conventional construction for selectively connecting them to a discharge line 38 and a hydraulic pressure supply line 39'.

The tip supporting means 13 is adapted to make detachable engagement with the tip 16 of the drum 10 even in case of the movement of the combination coiler-and uncoiler 5 relative thereto. A similar tip supporting means is also provided to support the tip of the drum of the coiler 12 and is designated by the same reference numeral.

The detailed structure of the tip supporting means is shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. Because of the drum 10 moving in the transversal direction of the sheet, a member 75 to support the tip end of the drum 10 must be cylindrical shape; and, therefore, detachable engagement of the tip supporting means with the cylindrical member 76 cannot be effected (by the pivotal movement of the tip supporting arm 13) unless some means is provided. In order to deal with this problem, the tip supporting portion of the tip supporting means is provided in a double structure in which an inner supporting member 76 is disposed interior of an outer supporting member 72 so that the former is slidably movable within the latter, along the axis of the drum 10 by the cooperation of a piston 73 with the outer supporting member 72 which is serving as a cylinder. Thus, it is possible for the drum 10 to move axially with the tip end thereof being supported by the supporting means in the detachable fashion.

Before the tip supporting arm 13 is swung into position for supporting the drum 10, the inner supporting member 76 is held in the leftward position as shown in FIG. 7 and, upon completion of the swinging movement of the tip supporting arm 13, said member 76 is moved to the right into the position shown in FIG. 8 and thereby the tip end of the drum 10 is supported by the outer periphery of the bearing 75.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that according to the present invention the combination coiler and uncoiler being a single unit is serviceable as both a coil box and a pay-off reel and thus incorporation of such combination coiler and uncoiler in rolling apparatus can remarkably reduce the cost of equipment and a space required for the installation of rolling apparatus. It will also be understood that according to the present invention the combination coiler and uncoiler can be disposed in close proximity to the rolling mill and thus steel sheet operation is made easier with the result that the production efficiency is increased and stable rolling operation is effected.

What is claimed is:

1. A cold rolling apparatus comprising a rolling mill, a coiler disposed on the rear side of said rolling mill, a combination coiler and uncoiler disposed on the front side of said rolling mill, a drum rotatably mounted at one end on a portion of said combination coiler and uncoiler for taking up thereon and paying off therefrom a coil by the rotation thereof, said drum including means for selectively stepwise varying its outside diameter in the radial direction thereof, means operatively associated with said combination coiler and uncoiler for moving said drum to align the center of the coil about said drum with the center of the coil passage in said rolling mill, means for braking said combination coiler and uncoiler in place to prevent any vibration of said combination coiler and uncoler during the take-up and pay-off operation of the coil, said braking means being hydraulically actuated to brake said combination coiler and uncoiler in position and to release it from the braked position, and means for supporting the other end tip of said drum against deflection, wherein said means for selectively stepwise varying the outside diameter of the drum includes a drum segment peripherally divided into a plurality of pieces, a hollow shaft rotatably supported in a bearing and connected to the drum segment, a wedge shaped shaft connected at its one end to a hydraulic piston and engages at its wedge surface with the tapered inside surface of the drum segment for stepwise expanding or contracting the outside diameter of the drum as the wedge shaped shaft is moved axially by the piston.

2. A cold rolling apparatus comprising a rolling mill, a coiler disposed on the rear side of said rolling mill, a combination coiler and uncoiler disposed on the front side of said rolling mill, a drum rotatably mounted at one end on a portion of said combination coiler and uncoiler for taking up thereon and paying ofi therefrom a coil by the rotation thereof, said drum including means for selectively stepwise varying its outside diameter in the radial direction thereof, means operativcly associated with said combination coiler and uncoiler for moving said drum to align the center of the coil about said drum with the center of the coil passage in said rolling mill, means for braking said combination coiler and uncoiler in place to prevent any vibration of said combination coiler and uncoiler during the take-up and pay-otf operation of the coil, said braking means being hydraulically actuated to brake said combination coiler and uncoiler in position and to release it from the braked position, and means for supporting the other end tip of said drum against deflection, wherein said braking means includes a wedge connected at its one end to a piston rod and engaged at its one surface with the bed, an oil actuated piston for moving the wedge in the axial direction, a wedge support fixed to a base and engaged at its tapered inside surface with the other surface of said wedge for fixing or relieving the bed relative to the base as the Wedge is moved axially by the piston.

3. A cold rolling apparatus comprising a rolling mill, :1 coiler disposed on the rear side of said rolling mill, a combination coiler and uncoiler disposed on the front side of said rolling mill, a drum rotatably mounted at one end on a portion of said combination coiler and uncoiler for taking up thereon and paying off therefrom a coil by the rotation thereof, said drum including means for selectively stepwise varying its outside diameter in the radial direction thereof, means operatively associated with said combination coiler and uncoiler for moving said drum to align the center of the coil about said drum with the center of the coil pasage in said rolling mill, means for braking said combination coiler and uncoiler in place to prevent any vibration of said combination coiler and uncoiler during the take-up and pay-off operation of the coil, said braking means being hydraulically actuated to brake said combination coiler and uncoiler in position and to release it from the braked position, and means for "sup,- porting the other end tip of said drum against deflection, wherein said tip supporting means includes an outer supporting member, a supporting member connected to the tip end of the drum, an inner supporting cylindrical member disposed interior of the'inward cylindrical portion of the outer supporting member for receiving at its inward stroke the supportng member, a' piston disposed interior of the outward cylindrical housing portion ofthe outer supporting member and movable axially underpressurized oil and connected to the inner supporting cylindrical member, whereby the drum is permitted to move axially with the tip end thereof being either supported by or released from the inner supporting member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,011,810 8/19 Gardner et a1. 2,578,953 12/1951 Tyrrell 242-78.1 3,312,416 4/1967 Kajiwara i 24278.1

NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner 

